helpful thank you. It does seem the companies in my question buy data and aggregate it into data products they sell. I also happen to have been around the data industry more as a data platform vendor and consultant for decades. Always trying to align shifting concepts.
Reputable companies like LN license their info to businesses. There are different use cases for marketing versus what is Graham-Leech-Bliely protected info for credit and law enforcement. It is likely that the criminal hit the dark web rather than trying to fool a big company and paying big bucks.
Graham Leach Bliley aka GLBA I think you mean. Anyway my point here is so called reputable cos that sell data to businesses have wildly bad algos or don’t care. To have my mother’s home and that of a randomly same name person and their addresses and debt status disclosed to us is unconscionable.
Reputable companies either a) sell large lists based on demographics or B) single records based on GLB protected data. The marketing list use case involves buying thousands of records that may or may not contain a specific individual. It is expensive and not what the criminal would try and do.
He would try and go the single record route with GLB data which is very expensive and you have to go through a tough process to access it. It is far harder and more expensive than going dark web and avoiding detection.
You might be right re this assailant. Or he might have a cousin who underwrites loans or whatever. But the dark web resale is only possible because these data aggregators exist.
Of course any person with legitimate use could break the law.
authorized use, ‘legal’ use ok. I question the the word ‘legitimate.’
Replace the word data with guns. We can argue all day about what happens when people break the law.
If you knew me at all, we could go all day discussing what happens when people outsource their basic morality and instinct for goodness to ‘law.’ Thanks for engaging and answering a few questions, good night.
Thanks for a cordial and respectful discussion, a rarity on social media.
Single records are very flawed and affordable to both a dumb underwriter and a go for broke assailant.